A new European law requires all EU created vehicles to be fitted with speed assist technology. What does this mean for UK drivers?
July 7th saw a new European law come into force that requires all cars created in the EU to be automatically fitted with mandatory Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) technology. This new technology will act as a speed limiter, automatically reducing a vehicle’s speed by limiting engine power – aiming to improve overall road and driver safety.
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So how will this impact the UK? The EU exports around 5.6 million cars annually and the UK is the top export destination, accounting for a fifth of the market. Alongside this, Government research reveals that 45% of Brits speed on motorways and 50% on 30mph roads.
We spoke with Giovanni Giancaspro, Segment Manager for ADAS and Automated Driving at TomTom, to learn more about the new regulation and what it means for UK drivers.
Just Auto (JA): Could you provide some background on your role at the company?
Giovanni Giancaspro (GG): I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked with some of the biggest names in the technology industry, successfully delivering innovative products that bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and real-world applications. Today, I’m the segment manager for ADAS and Automated Driving at TomTom, the location technology specialist building the world’s smartest map for drivers, carmakers, businesses, and developers.
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By GlobalDataSpecifically, I lead the value proposition and go-to-market strategy for our advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving (AD) solutions. My role requires me to work closely with product managers, engineers, sales, and external partners across Europe and Asia. I also oversee market analysis and competitive insights to ensure that TomTom is competitively positioned in relation to industry trends, customer requirements and regulatory standards.
How will the new regulations impact the UK?
Speeding has been a leading factor in road deaths since the invention of the car. In the UK specifically, there are five fatal road accidents reported every day, with one in four fatal crashes caused by someone driving too fast. Now, we are moving into a new era of vehicle safety with advanced technologies such as Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA), powered by digital ADAS map data with speed limits.
Speeding has been a leading factor in road deaths since the invention of the car.
The EU’s ‘General Safety Rule’ (GSR) is legislation that made ISA mandatory for all new vehicles starting in 2022, and mandatory for all existing carlines from 7th July 2024. The legislation now applies to all European cars, vans, trucks and buses. The inclusion of ISA in the updated EU GSR came as a surprise to many European automakers, with the universal nature of the mandate requiring them to deliver ISA functionality in all vehicle segments in rapid turnaround.
While the difficulties of satisfying the ISA mandate have been significant, we must recognise the long-term role of advanced mapping data as a key enabling technology. Finding partners that are not only capable of delivering on the short-term ISA requirement, but can also scale into new applications, multiple vehicle configurations (hardware, software and services) and into multiple regions, will be essential for growth in the future.
While the GSR is not currently a regulation in the UK, auto manufacturers who build cars in Europe are unlikely to remove ISA specifically for UK-bound cars. This is particularly significant when you consider the EU exports 5.6 million cars annually, with Britain as the top export destination accounting for a fifth of the market. We’re also seeing more commercial use cases in the UK, with Transport for London (TfL) implementing ISA systems across a third of its public transport fleet to decrease speeding infringements.
How does it make roads safer?
This landmark piece of vehicle safety tech will accurately determine the correct speed limit at any given point in the journey, warning the driver and informing ADAS systems on board. This is possible because ISA tech uses two data sources to inform the driver of the speed limit: vehicle sensors, such as cameras, and advanced digital map data.
ISA could use cameras alone to identify speed limits through traffic sign recognition. Cameras, however, have limited range and can be blinded by weather conditions like rain or snow, not to mention that the vast majority of speed restrictions are implicit and not indicated by a visible sign. Additionally, they often perform poorly when required to recognise conditional and variable speed limits. Many speed limit types are nearly impossible for cameras to recognise, particularly limits conditional on time of day, weather, and vehicle type, as well as speed limits with sub-plates and implicit speed limits (for example, entering a city boundary).
Fortunately, advanced digital mapping data can solve these issues by containing verified speed limit data that ‘see’ beyond camera range and perform in all conditions. The map data fuses with a vehicle’s ADAS function to prepare for changing speed limits. Auto manufacturers will need to work with an ADAS mapping provider to merge all this data and ensure vehicles can provide real-time speed limit alerts.
Together, both cameras and advanced digital mapping data will add an extra layer of awareness to a vehicle
Together, both cameras and advanced digital mapping data will add an extra layer of awareness to a vehicle, allowing it to better understand the speed limit on any given road, warn drivers when they exceed it and even step in to reduce speed at critical moments. The result is not only greater vehicle safety but also increased driver comfort and energy efficiency.
Is there a case for making it a global standard?
Road safety remains a critical global issue. However, vehicle tech and safety standards like the EU’s Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) regulation represent a significant step forward in making our roads safer. In fact, the European Transport Safety Council estimates that the mass adoption of ISA has the potential to cut road collisions by 30% and deaths by 20%.
To keep things moving in the right direction on a global scale, we need more governments, cities, and automakers to work together to adopt the strategies, standards and technologies that make our streets safer for everyone. A vital step forward here includes the Global New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) launching its ISA Global Partnership, which would see all groups with an interest in ISA – from consumer groups and governments to carmakers and tech providers – join forces to share best practices, raise awareness and drive adoption.
The Global NCAP aims to encourage appropriate regulation globally, stimulate trials for fleets and cities and raise awareness of what the technology offers. In practical terms, it could see a tech provider like TomTom working together with a fleet provider to run real-world trials of ISA systems, comparing how vehicles equipped with ISA perform compared to those without speed assistance tech.
Initiatives like this will be vital in providing tangible proof of the safety benefits of ISA, making them an important part of driving mass adoption on the global stage. By the end of this decade, the landscape of road safety is likely to look very different.
